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Dictionary of English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions



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285 Idioms Beginning With 'S'

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~ S ~

Sacred cow
Safe and sound
Safe bet
Safe pair of hands
Safety in numbers
Saigon moment
Sail close to the wind
Sail under false colours
Salad days
Salt in a wound
Salt of the earth
Salty dog
Same old, same old
Save face
Save someone's bacon
Save your skin
Saved by the bell
Saving grace
Say uncle
Say when
Say-so
Scales fall from your eyes
Scare the daylights out of someone
Scarlet woman
Scattered to the four winds
Scent blood
Schoolyard pick
Scot free
Scotch Mist
Scraping the barrel
Scream blue murder
Screw loose
Screwed if you do, screwed if you don't
Sea legs
Seamy side
Searching question
Second thoughts
Second wind
See eye to eye
See red
See the light
See which way the cat jumps
See you anon
See you later
See you on the big drum
Seed money
Seeing is believing
Seen better days
Sell down the river
Sell like hot cakes
Sell like hotcakes
Sell your birthright for a mess of pottage
Sell your soul
Send someone packing
Send someone to Coventry
Separate the sheep from the goats
Separate the wheat from the chaff
Serve time
Set in stone
Set the wheels in motion
Set your sights on
Seven sheets to the wind
Seventh heaven
Shades of meaning
Shaggy dog story
Shake a leg
Shanks's pony
Shape up or ship out
Sharp as a tack
Sharp cookie
Sharpen your pencil
She'll be apples
Shed light
Shifting sands
Shilly-shally
Ship came in
Shipshape and Bristol fashion
Shoe is on the other foot
Shoestring
Shoot down in flames
Shoot from the hip
Shoot the breeze
Shoot your wad
Shoot yourself in the foot
Shooting fish in a barrel
Shop floor
Short end of the stick
Short horse soon curried
Short shrift
Short-change
Shot across the bow
Shot in the dark
Shotgun marriage
Show me the money
Show someone a clean pair of heels
Show someone the ropes
Show your true colors
Shrinking violet
Sick and tired
Sick as a dog
Sick as a parrot
Sick to death
Sight for sore eyes
Sight to behold
Signed, sealed and delivered
Silence is golden
Silly season
Silver bullet
Silver screen
Silver surfer
Since time immemorial
Sing for your supper
Sing from the same hymn sheet
Sing like a canary
Sink or swim
Sit on the fence
Sit pretty
Sit well with
Sitting duck
Six feet under
Six of one and half-a-dozen of the other
Sixes and sevens
Sixty-four-thousand-dollar-question
Skate on thin ice
Skeleton in the closet
Skin and bones
Skin in the game
Skin someone alive
Skunkworks
Sky is the limit
Slap on the wrist
Sleep like a baby
Sleep like a log
Sleep well- don't let the bedbugs bite
Sleight of hand
Slim chance
Slip of the tongue
Slip through one's fingers
Slippery customer
Slippery slope
Slough of despond
Slow and steady wins the race
Slow boat to China
Slow boat to China
Slow but sure
Slower than molasses going uphill in January
Slowly, slowly catchy monkey
Sly as a fox
Smack in the face
Small beer
Small dog, tall weeds
Small fry
Small-time
Smart Alec
Smart as a whip
Smarty pants
Smell a rat
Smoke and mirrors
Smoke like a chimney
Smoke the peace pipe
Smokestack industry
Smoking gun
Smooth as a baby's bottom
Smooth sailing
Snake in the grass
Snake oil
Snake oil salesperson
Snow job
Snug as a bug in a rug
So it goes
So on and so forth
Sod's law
Soft soap someone
Some other time
Something nasty in the woodshed
Sound as a bell
Sound as a pound
Sour grapes
Sow the seeds
Sow your wild oats
Spanish practices
Spanner in the works
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Speak of the devil!
Speak to the organ grinder not the monkey
Speak volumes
Speak with a forked tongue
Spend a penny
Spend like a sailor
Spice of life
Spick and span
Spill the beans
Spin a yarn
Spinning a line
Spinning a yarn
Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak
Spirit of the law
Spit blood
Spit it out
Spit the dummy
Spitting image
Split hairs
Split the blanket
Spoil the ship for a ha'pworth of tar
Spot on
Sprat to catch a mackerel
Spring to mind
Spur of the moment
Sputnik moment
Square meal
Square Mile
Square peg in a round hole
Squared away
Squeaky clean
Squeaky wheel gets the grease
Squeeze blood out of a turnip
Stalking horse
Stand in good stead
Stars and stripes
Stars in your eyes
Start from scratch
State of the art
Status quo
Steal a march
Steal someone's thunder
Steer clear of
Stem the tide
Step on it
Step on someone's toes
Step up to the plate
Stew in your own juices
Stick in your craw
Stick out like a sore thumb
Stick to your guns
Stick your neck out
Stick-in-the-mud
Stick-in-the-mud
Sticking point
Sticky end
Sticky fingers
Sticky wicket
Stiff as a poker
Stiff upper lip
Stiff-necked
Still in the game
Still waters run deep
Stitch in time saves nine
Stone dead
Stone deaf
Stone's throw
Stool pigeon
Stop cold
Storm in a teacup
Straight face
Straight from the shoulder
Strain every nerve
Strange at the best of times
Straw man
Straw poll
Straw that broke the camel's back
Streets ahead
Strike a chord
Strike while the iron is hot
Stroll down memory lane
Strong as an ox
Stubborn as a mule
Stuffed to the gills
Succeed in the clutch
Sunday driver
Sure as eggs is eggs
Sure-fire
Swansong
Swear like a sailor
Swear like a trooper
Sweat blood
Sweep off your feet
Sweep things under the carpet
Sweet as a gumdrop
Sweet tooth
Swim against the tide
Swim with the fishes
Swim with the tide
Swimmingly
Swing the lead
Swings and roundabouts

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